PHOTO ESSAY: A young trans woman's journey, and her latest destination: World Pride in Washington

WASHINGTON (AP) — As they get ready in their hotel room, Bella Bautista trades makeup tips with the roommate she has just met.

Bautista, her cheekbones high and her confidence glowing, asks her roommate to curl her highlighted hair in the back. Jae Douglas obliges cheerfully.

Bautista, 22, is a college cheerleader turned pageant contestant. Last month, she competed in the Miss Supranational USA pageant in Miami, representing Tennessee. She hails from Cartersville, a small Georgia town north of Atlanta. She works as a social media intern for the Global Trans Equity Project.

She has come to Washington, D.C., to attend World Pride activities in the wake of the Trump administration’s policies legislating against gender-affirming care and its rhetoric against transgender girls in sports. During a speech she delivers to the trans community she announces what could be the anthem for her audience: “I'm not asking for permission to be who I am, I am who I am.”

Bautista says she is the first and only transgender woman to compete in the Miss Supranational pageant. It is part of a lengthier process of embracing her identity — both within herself and to the world.

Marching in an impending rain with a hundred others from the National Trans Visibility March, en route to the Lincoln Memorial to join the World Pride rally, Bella reflected, “I’m not fighting for myself anymore. I’m fighting for a larger cause alongside other people, which is good for a change. You know, being the only transgender person from my small town, it’s different to be in the capital of the USA. But so many people that are also fighting alongside with me are here, and have that same struggle.”

“In previous years, I felt more compelled to live my life stealth,” Bautista says. “But with everything going on with the current administration, I felt the need to give an actual face to the issue.”

And so she has come to World Pride, determined to be present and to fly the flag of who she is.

When Bautista transitioned during her senior year of high school in 2020, there were many pro-Trump demonstrations by students at her school during school hours. So she started a “diversity club” to create a safe place for LGBTQ+ students and students of color.

“I came out to my mom when I was 13, and I asked her, “Am I a girl?′ She said she didn’t know — ‘That’s something we need to look into.’ I didn’t know what being trans meant or anything like that. I’ve always been flexible with my gender and sexuality.”

Puberty was an upsetting time for her, before she was able to access gender-affirming care. “Having male hormones in my body gave me a lot of anxiety, dysphoria. And I felt that testosterone was going to destroy my body,” she says. With her family’s assent, she ordered hormones online and medically transitioned at 17, during her senior year.

As a gamer, she chose the name “Bella” online. It stuck.

“When I went to college I chose that name and told people, ‘Hi, I am Bella, I’m a woman.’ And I was stealth. No one on campus knew I was trans at the start. I just really wanted to live a normal college life, be a normal college girl.”

But things changed during her second year at college. She awakened to all the “harmful stereotypes” — and realized she could use them to help others.

“People would say that I don’t look trans, I don’t sound trans, so for me to be openly trans, it gives people more perspective,” she says. “I’m a normal college girl. I’m a cheerleader. This is what I look and sound like. It really resonates with both political parties.”

This past winter, she decided to testify at the Georgia State Capitol about her experience as a young trans woman athlete. It was illuminating for her.

“I had to speak in front of Republican members and I would run into them in the hallways or the elevators, or outside the bathroom, and they’d say, ’Oh, you’re testifying against my bill but you’re amazing, I loved your speech. Politicians politicize trans rights to gain votes. A big part of my platform is saying that my trans identify is not a political agenda for either side.”

She later began an organization called “This Does Not Define Me,” referring to her experiences with PTSD, a speech impediment, being Mexican American and fighting trans stereotypes. The organization is about visibility — and a sense that the challenges faced by people, especially within the trans community, shouldn’t define them.

“I hope that as more people meet me I put them at ease,” she says, “and I get more empathy for the trans community. As people have more interactions with trans people they’ll realize we are just normal people, with dreams, and this just happens to be my story.”

Bautista’s own journey has defined her in many ways, though, including her professional aspirations. She hopes to become a civil rights attorney, to stand up for marginalized people, and someday to run for public office in Georgia.

That’s later, though. Now, in a climate that doesn’t always accept people like her, there is power in just being who she is.

“I think the most powerful thing that I can do right now as a young trans woman is to educate the populace that this is my experience and that I am so much more than just being trans.”

Back at the hotel, ahead of attending a conference for the National Trans Visibility March, Bautista has Douglas take a video of her striding through the lobby in a gold gown. It’s for her Instagram feed. A family with two young children stops her. “Are you a model? Where may we have seen you before?” Bella smiles demurely and says, “Oh, I’m a pageant girl.”

She turns to a visitor. “I get that a lot,” she says.

Coming to World Pride from a hometown where she’s the only trans person is raising some questions for Bautista. Is allyship enough? Are gay members of the community fully backing trans rights? “It really feels like it’s LGB and then T,” she says. “We are going through so much. I am hoping these people waving the gay flag are also considering what we are going through at this time.”

Add onto that her identity as a Mexican woman and — with the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown on many fronts — there is still more she wants to advocate. So much more to do.

Bella Bautista was silent for a while. No longer.

“It feels good to represent … something bigger and to be proud of that,” she says.

“I kind of want to be like, ‘I’m here,’ you know?” she says. “I’m just a normal college girl, I’m a cheerleader, I do pageants, and I happen to be trans, but that does not define my ability to succeed. Being trans is part of who I am, but I still deserve access to those dreams.”

This is a documentary photo story curated by AP photo editors.

Jacquelyn Martin is an Associated Press photographer based in Washington.

Bella Bautista, 22, a trans woman, second from left, sits outside the Human Rights Campaign by a sign that says "equality" after attending an awards ceremony for the National Trans Visibility March, at the Human Rights Campaign headquarters, during World Pride, Friday, June 6, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Bella Bautista, 22, left, a trans woman, has dinner with Marissa Miller, Founder of the National Trans Visibility March (NTVM) and a trans woman, center, and Elijah Nicholas, DBA, who is Lead Strategy Director of NTVM, and a trans man, at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Arlington, Va., Wednesday, June 4, 2025, at a dinner for strategic organizers of the march, during World Pride. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Bella Bautista, 22, a trans woman, arrives for the Capitol Pride Awards, during World Pride, Thursday, June 5, 2025, at the Building Museum in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Gabriel Faith, of Newark, N.J., makes a sign during a pre-rally for the National Trans Visibility March, at the Human Rights Campaign, before marching to join the World Pride Rally on the National Mall, Sunday, June 8, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Bella Bautista, 22, right, a trans woman, adjusts the trans pride flags in the hair of trans femme Jae Douglas, 21, as they head toward a concert for World Pride, Saturday, June 7, 2025, by the U.S. Capitol on the National Mall in Washington. (Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Bella Bautista, 22, right, a trans woman, has a photo taken with Rep. Sarah McBride, D-Del., the first trans woman to be a member of Congress, during a reception held by the Christopher Project, a trans rights organization, after the Human Rights Conference during World Pride, Thursday, June 5, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Marion F., left, and her partner Jessie G., embrace as they listen to speakers during a pre-rally with the National Trans Visibility March, held at the Human Rights Campaign, before marching to join the World Pride Rally on the National Mall, Sunday, June 8, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Bella Bautista, 22, a trans woman, speaks during a pre-rally with the National Trans Visibility March, held at the Human Rights Campaign, before marching to join the World Pride Rally on the National Mall, Sunday, June 8, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Bella Bautista, 22, third from left, a trans woman, walks on the stage with fellow contestants as her portrait is displayed during the Miss Supranational USA pageant, Saturday, May 17, 2025, in Miami. Bautista says she is the first trans woman to compete in this pageant. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Bella Bautista, 22, center, a trans woman, talks with a man who complimented her outfit, left, and Beyonce Black St. James, of Spokane, Wash., who is Miss Trans USA, right, during the Capitol Pride Awards during World Pride, Thursday, June 5, 2025, at the Building Museum in Washington. (Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Bella Bautista, 22, a trans woman, attends an awards ceremony for the National Trans Visibility March, at the Human Rights Campaign headquarters, during World Pride, Friday, June 6, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Jae Douglas, 21, a trans femme from Tallahassee, Fla., right, helps Bella Bautista, 22, left, a trans woman, curl her hair in their hotel room in Arlington, Va., Wednesday, June 4, 2025, as the roommates prepare to attend a dinner for strategic organizers of the National Trans Visibility March, during World Pride. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Bella Bautista, 22, a trans woman, does her makeup in her hotel room in Arlington, Va., Wednesday, June 4, 2025, ahead of attending a dinner for strategic organizers of the National Trans Visibility March, during World Pride. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Bella Bautista, 22, third from left, a trans woman, poses with other contestants during a photo session for the Miss Supranational USA pageant, Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Miami. Bautista says she is the first trans woman to compete in this pageant. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Bella Bautista, 22, left, a trans woman, works with director Magali Febles during a photo session for the Miss Supranational USA pageant, Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Miami. Bautista says she is the first trans woman to compete in this pageant. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Bella Bautista, 22, a trans woman, attends a concert during World Pride, Saturday, June 7, 2025, on the National Mall in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Bella Bautista, 22, a trans woman, walks into the women's bathroom during a concert at World Pride, Saturday, June 7, 2025, on the National Mall in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

After marching with the National Trans Visibility March, Bella Bautista, 22, a trans woman, attends the World Pride Rally on the National Mall, Sunday, June 8, 2025, with the Washington Monument in the background in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Bella Bautista, 22, center, a trans woman, attends the National Trans Visibility March, en route to join the World Pride Rally on the National Mall, Sunday, June 8, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

People of Iranian descent attend the World Pride Parade, Saturday, June 7, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Bella Bautista, 22, a trans woman, attends the World Pride Parade with Jae Douglas, 21, right, who identifies as a trans femme, Saturday, June 7, 2025, in Washington. A resident of Georgia, she’s wearing a sash from her time in the Miss Supranational USA pageant, in which she represented Tennessee. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Bella Bautista, 22, a trans woman from Cartersville, Ga., walks past the U.S. Capitol after attending the World Pride Parade, Saturday, June 7, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

The search is on for one missing U.S. service member while another was rescued after two U.S. warplanes went down in separate incidents including the first shoot-down since the Iran war began nearly five weeks ago.

The incidents occurred just two days after President Donald Trump said in a national address that the U.S. has “beaten and completely decimated Iran.”

One fighter jet was shot down in Iran, officials said. A U.S. crew member from that plane was rescued, but a second was missing, and a U.S. military search-and-rescue operation was underway.

Separately, Iranian state media said a U.S. A-10 attack aircraft crashed in the Persian Gulf after being struck by Iranian defense forces. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive military situation, said it was not clear if the aircraft crashed or was shot down.

The war now entering its sixth week is destabilizing economies around the world as Iran responds to the U.S. and Israeli attacks by targeting the Gulf region's energy infrastructure and tightening its grip on oil and natural gas shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.

Here is the latest:

Meloni assured Qatar’s leader during a visit Saturday that Italy would contribute to restoring Qatari energy infrastructure damaged by Iranian bombing, noting its natural gas production is critical to global energy security, her office said in a note.

Meloni is the first EU, G20 and NATO leader to visit the Gulf region since the start of the U.S.-Israel war on Iran. She began her two-day visit Friday in Saudi Arabia and is also scheduled to visit the United Arab Emirates. The start of the visit was unannounced due to security concerns.

Meloni and Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, also reaffirmed the necessity of opening the Strait of Hormuz, which has blocked for weeks by the conflict, stranding numerous oil tankers.

Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger said she underscored to her Iranian counterpart Abbas Aragchi “the need to halt the strikes on neighboring countries and restore freedom of navigation in the Strait Hormuz.”

Meinl-Reisinger said in a social media post on Saturday that navigation through the Gulf was especially important “regarding the humanitarian aspect of glob food security with a focus on fertilizers and other essential goods.”

She added her country’s support for forging a new deal on Iran’s nuclear program and restoring the country’s full cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The United Arab Emirates said Saturday its air defense systems engaged 23 ballistic missiles and 56 drones from Iran.

Azerbaijan's state news agency Azertac reported on Saturday that 10 with 200 tons of food, medicine and medical supplies were trucked over the country's border with Iran.

Azerbaijani officials accompanied the convoy to oversee the delivery of the assistance, the report said.

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev posted on X that the “friendly and brotherly” people of both countries have supported each other for centuries and "we will continue to stand by each other in both good and difficult times.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a social media post on Saturday that Iran has "never refused to go to Islamabad.”

He said what Iran cares about "are the terms of a conclusive and lasting END to the illegal war that is imposed on us.”

Pakistan said last week that it would soon host talks between the U.S. and Iran. It is not clear when or if the talks will take place.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on social media on Saturday that radioactive fallout from continued attacks on the Bushehr nuclear power plant “will end life” in regional capitals, not Tehran.

He accused Western governments of remaining silent about the repeated attacks on the plant.

The fourth attack on the Bushehr complex occurred Saturday, killing a security guard and damaging a support building. No increase in radiation levels was reported, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Bushehr is located some 750 kilometers (465 miles) south of Iran’s capital, Tehran.

The facility uses low-enriched uranium from Russia, along with Russian technicians, to supply about 1,000 megawatts of power for Iran.

The finance ministers of Spain, Germany, Italy, Portugal and Italy say that a European Union-wide tax on energy companies’ profits would distribute the burden more fairly.

The call, made public Saturday, comes amid concerns that surging oil and gas prices driven by the Iran war will fuel inflation and strain households.

Europe is largely dependent on imported oil and gas, leaving it vulnerable to external shocks.

In 2022, turmoil in energy markets following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine pushed inflation into double digits in many European countries.

Omar al-Waeli, head of Iraq’s Border Ports Authority, said on Saturday that the strike on the Shalamcheh border crossing killed one person and wounded five others.

Authorities did not offer further details on the strike. But trade and passenger traffic is suspended at the crossing, which is crucial for Iranian imports and Iranian pilgrims headed to Iraq’s Shiite shrines.

The Iraqi government said it was directing traders and travelers to alternative crossings.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said on Saturday that it has been informed by Iran about the strike near the premises of the Bushehr nuclear facility that killed a security guard and impacted a building in the complex.

“No increase in radiation levels was reported” following the strike, the IAEA said in a social media post.

Bahrain’s Defense Ministry reported the tally in a social media post on Saturday.

This brings the total number of projectiles fired at the country since the start of the war to 188 missiles and 453 drones.

Bahrain hosts the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet.

The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran said in a social media post Saturday that an airstrike near its Bushehr nuclear facility killed a security guard and damaged a support building.

It is the fourth time the facility has been targeted during the war.

The Bushehr nuclear power plant uses low-enriched uranium from Russia, along with Russian technicians, to supply about 1,000 megawatts of power for Iran.

Its pressurized-water reactor can power hundreds of thousands of homes and other businesses and industries. But it contributes only 1% to 2% of Iran’s total power needs.

Iran has been trying to expand the facility to multiple reactors. In 2019, it began a project that ultimately plans to add two additional reactors to the site, each adding another 1,000 megawatts apiece.

Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni has discussed with Saudi Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman defensive military assistance that Italy is providing against Iranian reprisals to U.S.-Israeli attacks.

A brief statement from Meloni's office Saturday did not specify what type of assistance Italy is providing.

It also said the two discussed diplomatic efforts to end the war, the importance of opening the Strait of Hormuz and “more broadly how to promote a regional framework that can break free from the current cycle of conflict.”

Meloni will continue her visit in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

U.S. and Israeli warplanes continued to pound Iran Saturday, hitting several targets including a petrochemical facility, Iranian media reported.

Iran's official English-language newspaper Tehran Times reported that an airstrike hit a facility belonging to Iran’s Agriculture Ministry in the western city of Mehran.

The newspaper said another air raid struck Mahshahr Special Petrochemical Zone in the southwestern Khuzestan province.

The semiofficial Fars news agency reported several explosions heard late Saturday morning in the facility.

Mehr, another semiofficial news agency, reported that the strikes hit four companies within the zone.

Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf made the veiled threat in a social media post late Friday, asking about how busy oil tanker and container ship traffic is through the strait.

The 20-mile (32-kilometer) strait links the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean and is one of the busiest chokepoints in global trade, with more than a tenth of seaborne global oil and a quarter of container ships passing through it.

Iran has already greatly disrupted the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, sending fuel prices skyrocketing and jolting the world economy.

Disrupting transit through the Bab el-Madeb would force shipping firms to route their vessels around the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa, further hitting prices.

Israel’s rescue services said Saturday the man sustained glass shrapnel wounds after an Iranian missile hit the central city of Bnei Brak.

It wasn't clear if the glass shrapnel was caused by a direct strike or falling debris from an intercepted missile.

Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue services said it was taking the man to the hospital.

The Iranian judiciary's Mizan news agency said Saturday that the two men who were hanged belonged to the Iranian exile group Mujahedeen-e-Khalq.

The agency said Abul-Hassan Montazer and Vahid Bani-Amirian were convicted of “being members of a terrorist group.”

This brings to six the total number of MEK members executed since the start of the war.

Activists and rights groups say Iran routinely holds closed-door trials in which defendants are unable to challenge the accusations they face.

The Israeli military said on Saturday that its air force struck ballistic and anti-aircraft missile storage sites in Tehran.

It said the strikes a day earlier included weapons manufacture sites as well as military research and development facilities in the Iranian capital.

It said the strikes are part of an ongoing phase to increase damage to Iran's “core systems and foundations.”

Authorities in Dubai said the facades of two buildings were damaged by debris from intercepted drones, including one belonging to U.S. tech firm Oracle. No injuries were reported.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has threatened to attack Oracle and 17 other U.S. companies after accusing them of being involved in “terrorist espionage” operations in Iran.

Previous Iranian drone strikes caused damage to three Amazon Web Services facilities in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

As of Friday, 247 of the wounded were Army soldiers, 63 were Navy sailors, 19 were Marines and 36 were Air Force airmen, according to Pentagon data available online.

It is unclear if the data includes any of the service members involved in the downing of two combat aircraft reported Friday.

Most of the wounded — 200 — were also mid to senior enlisted troops, 85 were officers and 80 were junior enlisted service members.

The current death toll remains at 13 service members killed in combat.

Palestinian Muslims attend Friday prayers outside Jerusalem's Old City due to restrictions linked to the Iran war, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

Tamara and her sister Amal color pictures on the floor as their parents, Sara and Ahmed, who fled their village of Khiyam in southern Lebanon due to Israeli bombardment, sit inside a tent used as a shelter in Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

Mohammad Qubaisi, 53, with burn wounds from an Israeli airstrike on southern Lebanon undergoes surgery by Dr. Mohammed Ziara, left, and his team, at the Sidon Government Hospital in Sidon, Lebanon, Thursday, April 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

A bridge struck by U.S. airstrikes on Thursday is seen in the town of Karaj, west of Tehran, Iran, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

FILE - An F-15E Strike Eagle turns toward the Panamint range over Death Valley National Park, Calif., on Feb. 27, 2017. (AP Photo/Ben Margot, File)